Best and worst airports in the world

London Heathrow has been slammed by a senior executive of American Airlines, who said the airport is "a bit of a dump" and "is in many ways the worst of all the airports that my company flies to in Europe". Ouch!

Is Heathrow really that bad? And which airports do better job? Here's our pick of some great and not-so-great airports around the world. Share your views...

Five of the worst:

London Heathrow

The range of shops and eateries is unparalleled; whatever you need to stock up on at the last minute, you won't have trouble finding it. But the airport is also chronically busy. There just isn't enough space to go round, particularly in the tatty terminals 1-3. Flights invariably face long queues to get from the gate to the runway, and tedious stacking (circling round waiting for a landing slot) is common when you arrive at the airport.

Paris Charles de Gaulle

Confusing, unfriendly and in need of a long-overdue facelift, Paris's international gateway is a place where you will be lucky to get a warm welcome or stress-free experience - particularly when you can't stop thinking that you could have taken the Eurostar to get here...

Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane's small and under-resourced airport can subject passengers to queues on a scale they won't experience in many other places. If you're flying out of here, allow lots and lots of time for checking in.

LAX, USA

LA's international airport has a funky new sculpture/logo out front but remains hectic, confusing and rough around the edges. Post 9-11 security measures have been tacked on in untidy fashion and it's worrying to see huge piles of unattended luggage stacked up in the middle of the terminal, where they get left en route from check-in to aircraft.

London Gatwick

The poorly-managed security queues at London's second busiest airport tend to go on for miles and wind around corners, getting your trip off to the most irritating possible start. Adding insult to injury, public transport between the airport and London is scandalously overpriced.